mark ballas

Ralph Macchio gave a performance last night on 'Dancing With the Stars' that would have done Mr. Miyagi proud. Recovering from a painful Baker's cyst, the actor, who starred in the 'Karate Kid' movies, managed to perform two difficult dances, a waltz and a cha cha, despite his injury.

Macchio, Kane and the other three remaining season 12 celebrities -- Kirstie Alley, Romeo and Hines Ward -- walked the post-show press line in order to share their thoughts on their performances and just how badly they all want to make next week's coveted semifinals.

Even Romeo thought he and his partner Chelsie Hightower were going home on last night's results show of 'Dancing With the Stars.' But, it turns out that Season 12 is the season in which anyone can be ejected at any time -- even an improved dancer like Kendra Wilkinson, who not only has a huge fan base, but also wasn't in the bottom two in terms of scores from Monday night's show.

After Wilkinson and partner Louis Van Amstel, who she credits for her successful journey, did a final twirl on the dance floor the couple walked the post-show press line.

TV Squad was on the scene to get reactions from the ejected duo and the surviving five pairs, who weighed in on a variety of topics including how and why they've survived and what they need to do to make it to the finals.

With the group performances a wash on last nights competition episode, it was down to their individual numbers to determine would be leaving the show this week on 'Dancing with the Stars' (Tue., 9PM ET on ABC). Ralph Macchio and Hines Ward tied with the highest marks of the night, making them likely to be safe.

Chelsea Kane was two points behind with 34 points, but would that be enough? Huddled around the bottom were the three remaining teams. Kendra Wilkinson scored 31 points, while Kirstie Alley and Romeo were tied at the bottom of the rankings with 30 points apiece.

With so many teams so close together, it was going to come down to their past performances, as well as their overall likability with the viewers at home.

All the dancers started out with 30 points after performing in group dances. Romeo and his partner Chelsie Hightower then scored 30 points (out of 40) with their Samba while Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy earned the same for their Jive.

It's likely all going to come down to fan bases. The pairs spoke to TV Squad on the post-show press line to discuss what they think of their loyal followers.

The scene stealer of the night was guest instructor Shirley Ballas, Mark's mother, who takes no prisoners when it comes to being a dance teacher. She shared her thoughts with TV Squad on whether or not she'd join the show as a pro partner.

This week the six remaining couples were divided into two groups on 'Dancing With the Stars' (Mon., 8PM ET on ABC). Each group performed a Cha-Cha-Cha, and while it was ultimately a draw in the judge's scores, we had a lot of fun watching "Team Chelsea."

Chelsea Kane was chosen as one of the team leaders, because along with Hines Ward she has the highest points from the judges so far this season. Made up of Kane & Mark Ballas, Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff, and Romeo & Chelsie Hightower, the couples did a great job of sharing the floor, spotlighting one another, and performing in tandem.

Ever since Pia Toscano's surprise elimination from 'American Idol' a few weeks back, the Internet has been abuzz with rumors of her being in a relationship with 'Dancing with the Stars' (Tue., 9PM ET on ABC) professional Mark Ballas. Not ones to let good free publicity like that slip away, the show booked Toscano for this week's results show.

To add fuel to the fire, they had Ballas perform with fellow pro Karina Smirnoff to Toscano's performance of 'I'll Stand By You.' That way we could watch the two of them on the stage together to see if there were any smoldering looks passed back and forth.

Tom Bergeron said he was advised to ask about the relationship, but that he couldn't do that to her. Instead he asked, "Is he a good kisser?"

Kendra Wilkinson's spectacular comeback with her sexy samba may save her for another week on 'Dancing With the Stars.' Fan favorite (and AOL TV blogger) Chris Jericho's tango scored lowest for the night, however, which potentially places the former pro wrestler in jeopardy on tonight's results program.

Monday's performance show contained many surprises, including the first two 10s of the season for Romeo and his pro partner Chelsie Hightower. The competition's other Chelsea -- Chelsea Kane -- earned a 10 with her pro partner Mark Ballas.

There were a pair of mishaps, too, but neither belong to Kirstie Alley. Karina Smirnoff took a brief fall while doing the paso doble with her partner, Ralph Macchio, and Ballas twisted his ankle during dress rehearsal, but he soldiered through with his and Kane's quick step.

AOL TV was on the post-show press line to talk to the remaining contestants, during which time Maksim Chmerkovskiy cleared up those rumors that he's secretly married.

Rivalries, couples not getting along, polarizing celebrities and loads of off-screen drama. These are the things that, for better or worse, have at times dominated the reality competition series known as 'Dancing With the Stars.'

But as regular viewers of the show are finding out, there's not much of that going on in season 12. Instead, the most compelling aspects of the show are taking place right where they should be -- on the dance floor.

There was, however, one feud that seemed to erupt from last week's show -- Kendra Wilkinson appeared to take great umbrage at judge Carrie Ann Inaba's remark that she appeared fearful of embracing elegance.

Wilkinson was still clearly upset by the exchange in the video segment shown prior to this week's dance. But what viewers may not know is that the two women cleared the air just before Wilkinson and Louis van Amstel performed the fox trot on Monday night.

It's a pretty big deal to be a celebrity contestant on 'Dancing With the Stars.' It is, after all, the No. 2 show on television. But it's Chris Jericho's connections to the No. 1 show on television that is getting him the most attention, according to his appearance on 'The Tonight Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on NBC).

Both 'American Idol' and 'DWTS' tape in the same studio, so Jericho has had opportunities to meet some of the contestants. He and James Durbin have become friends, and he even helped Pia Toscano make a possible love connection.

In relaying the story, he broke into an amazing Pia impression, too. "Oh, I really like Mark Ballas and he's so pretty," Jericho said she told him, and so he simply facilitated the exchanging of phone numbers.

"Doing 'DWTS' and doing Playboy are two very separate things," Wilkinson told TV Squad. "[Karina] is an adult woman and we live in America. Let her be who she wants to be. I'm so happy that she's happy and she is who she is. She's about to get married. [Posing in Playboy] is, in a way, a bachelorette party to herself."

When asked to discuss her upcoming pictorial, Smirnoff told reporters, "I just don't think it's fair to talk about anything else but dancing. [Ralph Macchio and I] had such an amazing night."

Perhaps appealing to the younger demographic from Chelsea Kane's Disney Channel pedigree, she and partner Mark Ballas danced their Viennese Waltz to 'Hedwig's Theme' from the 'Harry Potter' films on 'Dancing with the Stars' (Mon., 8PM ET on ABC).

Ballas got completely into character with the magical nature of the music, even wearing a pointed wizard's hat throughout the routine, but the judge's were split in their appreciation of it.

"Chelsea, you are a fantastic dancer," Len Goodman said. "So why is it that every time I see you, there's something that I don't like that jars me?"

Surprise eliminations on 'Dancing With the Stars' aren't unusual. And, then, there are weeks in which the obvious contestant gets the boot. That's what happened last night when Wendy Williams, who'd scored a mere 15 points in Week Three, was sent packing.

The talk show diva was the first to admit that she's not a dancer, and her Foxtrot on Monday night proved her point. She earned a mere 15 points, down two points from her Week Two routine.

Williams and her pro partner, Tony Dovolani, spoke to reporters on the post-show press line. TV Squad was on the scene to get the scoop directly from the duo about their thoughts and feelings about being eliminated and their plans for the future.

He may have the best smile, but Mike Catherwood is also the least-known star on season 12 of 'Dancing With the Stars', and his combined score of 30 after two weeks of dancing is the lowest. Can the Los Angeles disc jockey and his partner Lacey Schwimmer evade tonight's elimination on 'DWTS'?

"I have the lowest fan base and lowest score," Catherwood told TV Squad on the post-show press line last night. "If anything keeps us on the show beyond this week we'll have to do things differently. It can't be just, 'Oh, I'll try harder.' We'll have to go back to the drawing board and break it down."

If Catherwood manages to avoid being sent home during tonight's elimination show he'll have Schwimmer to thank. She brings her own fan following, not just from 'DWTS,' but also from 'So You Think You Can Dance' on which she appeared from 2007–08.

Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas may have gone a little too into the character and the storytelling with her Jive on 'Dancing With the Stars' (Mon., 8PM ET on ABC). With lavish costumes and hamming it up across the stage, the judges felt it was a bit too distracting.

"I love choreography like that," Carrie Ann Inaba admitted. "But there's a time and a place for it and I don't think it was right now."

Len Goodman described it as "too much messing about and larking around." He needed to see more actual Jive and technique.

As for Bruno Tonioli, he was distracted by the whole stage production. "It was like Marcel Marceau desperately seeking Lolita in 'A Clockwork Orange'," he said.